


Ace in the Hole

by Goodluckdetective (scorpiontales)



Series: fallout au [4]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fallout, Budding Love, F/F, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-09 17:50:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10417800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorpiontales/pseuds/Goodluckdetective
Summary: For a settler, Kimball was pretty smart.It's one of the reasons Carolina likes her.





	

For a settler, Kimball was pretty smart.

In Carolina’s opinion, no settlers were that intelligent. Anyone who had brains knew better than to strike out and try to make a startup colony in the Wastes. The was far too large a chance of painful death for anyone relatively sane to consider it. Which was why Carolina considered anyone who moved outside the cities or established towns to be out of their goddamn mind. 

Kimball broke that prejudice when Carolina first met her. First because she managed to fire a shot that knocked back a super mutant from across the river, second because she’d told Carolina to pass under a homemade scanner before she was allowed to walk inside. 

Checking for weapons. Smart. Most people never thought to look besides a sight check. And for that Carolina respected her.

That was a years ago, back when Carolina was fresh off the Institute’s radar and skittish to everything and everyone. When she’d first entered the New Republic, she’d done so ready to fight everyone with her bare hands if they were Insitute spies. Now she freely walked with her version of a smile. Tight, strained, but there.

The New Republic was a moderate settlement, large enough to scare off some threats but not large enough to attract excess trouble. They were mismatched group and non-humans welcome as long as they knew how to shovel. As Carolina walked by the the gardens a few of the younger residents waved at her.

“On a case, Detective?” One of them said. Jensen, Carolina’s memory supplied. Carolina shook her head. 

“Nah.” At least not a case Carolina could talk about. “Church is off on one though.” The android was roped into a case of a missing butcher, and Carolina was sure his wiring would be frayed when she got back from working too much. “Where’s the boss?”

Jensen pointed towards the largest shack in the settlement. It was the town hall, and it was perhaps the only decorated building in town. It had a coat of paint, purple of all colors, and there was a wooden sign marking it as “New Republic HQ.” Carolina was there when Andersmith put it up: it took them half an hour to make sure the rope could hold the weight.

When she walked into the hall, it was relatively busy. A large amount of settlers gathered by the bar, where Bitters and Palomo made the worst drinks known to man. Carolina stopped by to grab a Nuka Cola before she headed towards the table in the far back.

Kimball was the eldest of the settlers, around Carolina’s age. She had curly black hair that she kept held back in a ponytail, and a grey neckerchief around throat. Carolina was one of the only people who knew it hid a scar from a Raider attack. She was writing in a notebook, her brown eyes narrowed.  She was working her ass off: typical. Kimball wouldn’t know how to take a break to save her life.

Carolina was the same. It was why she liked her. 

Carolina plopped the Nuka Cola in front of Kimball before she sat down across from her, crossing her arms. Kimball didn’t look up from her notes, but she did let go of her notebook to take a long swig of the cola. When half the bottle was gone, she bothered to look up at Carolina through her bangs.

“On a case, detective?”

“Can’t I stop by and visit a friend?”

“That would require you to stop working. Which I’m starting to think is impossible.”

Kimball had her there. She sat up and leaned forward on the table. The area around her was pretty empty and she triple checked no one was listening in before she spoke. “Seen a missing kid?”

Now that got Kimball’s attention. She closed her book and put it in her lap, and put her pen behind her ear. 

“A kid?”

“Yeah. Probably three years old. Maybe a little older. Black with really curly hair.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a sketch Tucker had given her. Where he’d managed to get one, she had no clue. “He looks like this. Should be traveling with a man. Tall, with a handlebar mustache.”

Kimball looked down at the sketch. Carolina could see the worry there, the concern, the reason Kimball fled to the Wastes to settle in the first place. Missing people. In the city, they were a given, folks vanishing out of nowhere never to return. Or worse, the ones who vanished and were said to be seen miles away, doing work they would never touch. Some of the disappearances were because of the hazards of traveling, but others-

Well, everyone knew the Institute's name for a reason, even if they hadn’t met them personally. 

“You think-”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“You never know with these things. I can’t be sure without evidence.” 

“But what do  _ you think _ ?” 

Carolina reached forward for Kimball’s Nuka Cola and drank the rest of it. It said something about their relationship, that Kimball didn’t mind her drinking precious caffeine.

“I think it’s something big. And anything big leads back there. It always does.”

They talked for a little longer, working how to get more people looking for Junior without grabbing attention from those who took him. When it was time for Carolina to leave, Kimball walked her to the gates. As Carolina headed towards her power armor, Kimball passed her a nuka cola from the guard bench. Her hand rested on Carolina’s shoulder, brushing back her hair.

“Be careful If you die, I’ll kill you myself.”

If this was Carolina years ago, she would have flinched away from the touch, trying to figure out what a hand on her shoulder met, what she wanted from her. She would have taken Kimball’s words as an attempt to manipulate her, because that’s what everyone always did, that’s what he did. She would have told her it was none of her business and never come back. Because people were self centered, people cared about only their own needs, people would trick you into playing their games and throw you aside as soon as you stopped dancing along to their tune.

That was years ago. Carolina had learned since then. 

Like how human beings, even when you thought you’d figured them out, could always defy your expectations. 

“Sure thing.”

If Kimball’s touch lingered on her shoulder for a few extra seconds, she didn’t mention it. 


End file.
